A. Field of the Invention
The field of the present invention relates generally to devices utilized to cook food. More specifically, this invention relates to cooking utensils that are configured to form the shape of a food item and to assist in the cooking thereof. Even more specifically, this invention relates to such cooking utensils that are configured for forming and frying traditional taco shells.
B. Background
Many people enjoy eating foods that are generally identified with a specific ethnic or cultural background, whether they are or are not of that specific background. For instance, many people enjoy eating foods that are traditionally thought of as Mexican or Mexican-style food, no matter what ethnic or cultural background they consider themselves to belong. One popular Mexican food item that is enjoyed by many people is the traditional U-shaped, hard-shell taco. As well known, the traditional hard-shell taco is made from a soft texture corn or flour tortilla that is folded into the U-shaped configuration, fried by immersing the tortilla into heated cooking oil contained in a frying pan, deep fryer or other cooking container, removed from the cooking oil and then filled with filling. While there are many possible types of fillings for a taco, a popular combination of food items for the filling is lettuce, cheese, tomatoes and a meat product, such as ground beef and the like. Some people enjoy their tacos with refried or other bean products inside the taco shell or on a plate served with the taco.
In addition to eating ethnic or cultural foods, many people enjoy cooking these foods themselves. With regard to tacos, for ease of preparation many people purchase pre-formed and pre-cooked taco shells from the store and then add a filling that they prepare themself. Unfortunately, as with many other foods that are mass produced and packaged for stores, the taco shells purchased from a store are not as tasty or generally as healthy as a taco shell that is freshly made by the cook when he or she is preparing the meal. People who do prepare the taco shell themselves typically either manually form the taco shell while cooking the tortilla in the frying pan, by turning it over into the standard U-shape while the tortilla is cooking, or utilize a cooking utensil that is configured to form the tortilla into the U-shape while its frying in a pan or deep fryer. Preparing a taco shell in a frying pan by folding the tortilla into the U-shape and holding it there while it fries in the oil is difficult and can subject the cook to injury from the heated oil splattering on his or her hand and/or arm. The use of deep fryers, which require the tortilla to be placed in an appropriately configured taco shell mold and then submerged in the heated oil and left for sufficient time to fry the tortilla into the hard shell, tend to saturate the finished taco shell with oil, a less than desired result. In fact, this method of cooking taco shells somewhat reduces one of the main benefits of home cooking, which is to provide a fresher and more healthy meal.
Many modern restaurants attempt to mimic the quality and health benefits that are typically associated with home cooked meals. Generally, in order to do so, these restaurants utilize many of the same ingredients and cooking methods that people use at home. With regard to tacos, the “home style” cooking restaurants typically utilize fresh tortillas and cook their taco shells in a frying pan or the like having a relatively (i.e., compared to a fryer) small amount of cooking oil, typically olive oil. Unlike most home cooking, however, restaurants have the need to prepare a relatively large number of taco shells for consumption by its patrons. On a busy night, this could require the restaurant to prepare many hundreds or even thousands of taco shells. Naturally, such needs make it difficult to prepare a taco shell by folding it in the pan while it fries.
As those who make their own taco shells know, whether the taco shells is made at home or in a restaurant, forming and frying a tortilla into a good, crispy and relatively healthy taco shell using a frying pan is no easy task. First, in order to obtain the desired tasty and relatively golden colored fried taco shell, the cook must utilize the proper type and amount of cooking oil and heat the oil to a temperature that is sufficiently hot to fry the tortilla, but not so hot so as to cause the cooking oil to excessively splatter against the cook or the surfaces of other nearby cooking equipment. Second, the cook must fold the tortilla into the desired taco shell U-shape and hold the normally soft tortilla in that shape while it is being fried by immersion in the heated cooking oil. Third, the cook must have the ability to safely and in a timely fashion remove the fried tortilla (i.e., the now formed taco shell) from the cooking oil in a manner that does not break or otherwise damage the taco shell, splatter cooking oil and result in contact between the cook and the frying pan.
Several patents describe devices configured to simplify and improve the making of taco shells from scratch. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 2,957,404 to Richardson describes a tortilla holder having a U-shaped plate that attaches to a bifurcated rod which attaches to the handle. A resilient wire clip holds the soft tortilla to the U-shaped plate, which is provided with holes to allow the oil to permeate the entire interior of the tortilla, while cooking the tortilla to form the taco shell. U.S. Pat. No. 3,020,826 to Silva describes a cooking utensil having a pair of horizontally displaced taco holding members that connect to a handle section configured for use in a deep fat fryer. The user squeezes a pair of handle members together to spread the taco holding members apart for insertion of the tortilla. U.S. Pat. No. 3,693,537 to Johnson, et al. describes a tortilla cooking utensil having a U-shaped piece of metal attached to a spring clip handle that is configured to grasp one end of the tortilla in order to turn it over in a skillet. The handle has a V-notched portion that permits the handle to rest on the upper edge of the skillet. U.S. Pat. No. 3,745,911 to Kennedy, Jr. et al. describes a cooking utensil having a multi-section outer plate that folds over a U-shaped inner plate with the tortilla disposed between. U.S. Pat. No. 4,517,887 to Childress describes a taco shell frying mold having an outer U-shaped mold piece and an inner U-shaped mold piece that are dimensioned for nesting with the tortilla disposed between. Each mold piece has a handle, which are joined together with a C-shaped clip when cooking the tortilla. U.S. Pat. No. 5,937,743 to Overstreet describes a taco cooking device comprising a first mold half joined with a second mold half to form a substantially U-shaped mold for the tortilla. A handle attaches to a securement means that snugly secures a meat filled taco in place during deep frying.
Although the aforementioned prior art patents describe various taco shell cooking utensils that can be utilized for cooking a tortilla into a U-shaped taco shell, they all present various limitations that impede their usefulness and, therefore, their acceptance. These limitations include handles that are not easy to grip and/or utilize to form the desired U-shape, handles that are not very well configured for use in a frying pan and/or taco mold pieces that can be difficult to adjust for the taco shell, particularly when hot after cooking. What is needed, therefore, is an improved cooking utensil for frying taco shells that is more useful for forming soft, generally flat tortillas into hard, U-shaped taco shells. Preferably, the improved taco shell utensil will have a handle assembly that is easy to receive and hold the tortilla so as to form it into the desired U-shape for cooking. In addition, the taco shell utensil should be configured for ease of removing the cooked taco shell from the utensil. It is also preferred that the improved taco shell utensil be configured for use in frying pans having sidewalls of different heights while utilizing a relatively small amount of cooking oil such that the utensil maintains a side of the taco shell in the cooking oil while it is being formed. It is also preferred that the taco shell utensil be supported on the frying pan sidewall in a manner that dissipates the heat from the frying pan.